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Next Mass Effect marketing write-up leaked

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humans created cylons then cylons created skinjobs :p
 
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Protheans were a slave race to the Reapers.

I'm talking about the time period in which Javik spoke of BEFORE they became enslaved by the Reapers. The Protheans were big slavers themselves back then. It was likely only when it became clear that the Protheans were easily dominant over all species they encountered that the Reapers enslaved them, to keep them from becoming a threat to the galaxy.

And I already acknowledged the Leviathans created the Reapers. You often post like I'm ignorant or something. I take offense to it, and I've told you this numerous times, yet you keep doing it. Are you arrogant or something?

BTW Bee, could you answer my question in the GTA V discussion forum please? I've pretty much exhausted all workarounds I can think of to try, including lowering any settings related to CPU use, since this seems to be an AI bug (some cops are standing unresponsive as well). I've checked my CPU use once lowered though, and there's nothing out of the ordinary. At this point the only thing I can think of trying is playing any other part of the game I can, but it seems that is a main story mission so I'm worried it will stop progression.

Last time I quit that part after Trevor died though, I spawned at a clinic or something and got $3000 taken from my inventory, yet the H for that heist was still on the map, so clearly it did not skip that segment. I tried it again with same results, one non responsive crew AI, which keeps custcenes and progression from triggering.
 

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Fine, I'll go point by point...

My one question though is whether the name "Mass Effect" will even make sense, since the Protheans seem to have dwelled primarily in the Milky Way galaxy, and supposedly they created the Mass Relays after which the game is named.
Protheans only existed in the Milky Way galaxy. The Protheans only created two experimental mass relays (the one on Ilos and the one seen in the Citadel presidium in Mass Effect); it should be noted that both of these were created by Prothean scientists after the Reapers retreated back into dark space (source: Vigil). All of the rest were made by Reapers for the purpose, as Sovereign said in Mass Effect, of making sure all sentient races develop along the path they desire.

It should be noted that those 4 legged, 4 armed creatures encountered on the Citadel were a slave-race before the Protheans. They were presumably the first (or close to it) race to be enslaved after the Leviathans.

That said, since little is known about the Protheans, if they're to continue calling it "Mass Effect", I really wouldn't mind ME4 being a prequel that at least touches on the Protheans and fills a lot of the holes in the history of them.
A lot is known about the Protheans thanks to Vigil on Ilos, main plot in Mass Effect 2 (about Collectors being repurposed Protheans), Javik in Mass Effect 3, and another Prothean VAI in Mass Effect 3. There really aren't that many (any?) holes players should care about. They tried to survive the Reapers and failed; however, their designs and efforts lead to the Crucible allowing the council races to control/merge/destroy the Reapers.

Perhaps they could for instance show recordings of an ancient race in this other galaxy that they evolved from, whom developed the tech to travel to other galaxies. The Protheans that came from them then creating a less powerful version of it for intergalactic travel.
Prior to this marketing leak, there's been no information in the Mass Effect lore about intergalactic space travel. Perhaps the technology, like the Crucible, stemmed from Prothean theories but other than that, the Protheans are irrelevant. They certainly didn't come to the Milky Way galaxy from another galaxy because that would imply they are more advanced than the Reapers. They were as shocked by the Reapers as the council races were; the council races, thanks to the Protheans, just got a little head start.
 
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LOL, I already SAID the Protheans were described as having dwelled in just the Milky Way. You often imply you're correcting me, only to be reiterating what I already said. I'm convinced you are indeed too arrogant to have a civil discussion. You like to act as if you have a superior intellect, when in fact you can't even pay attention to what's been said.

And it doesn't matter HOW many relays the Protheans created, they are the ones given credit for their design as I said. Again, yet another counterpoint failing to effectively refute anything I've said.

Even your point on Protheans being without mystique or holes in their history is clearly flawed, esp since everyone that encounters them wants to know about their race, and I'm talking about how they came to power, not the vague details you mentioned. It should be CLEAR in ME2 when even Javik himself, the sole survivor of his race, cannot answer some of their questions, that there are definitely holes in their history.

Your last paragraph proves you make assumptions based on no evidence, or even paying attention to what I said. I clearly stated the parent race could have developed intergalactic travel, not the Protheans themselves. That parent race could have even been unknown to the Protheans, the Protheans being a sort of seed race, as has been speculated about even with Earth related UFOs and Sci Fi surrounding the Gray investigations.

It's clear to me you think you are the only one with an understanding of such things. It's always a one sided discussion with you because you can't break down that wall of arrogance you've built up, which if anything only hinders vs helps your understanding of the topics you discuss, and those you discuss them with. I'm also not the only one whom has noticed your equating your own speculation as fact.
 

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And it doesn't matter HOW many relays the Protheans created, they are the ones given credit for their design as I said.
Mistakenly, as made clear by Vigil at the end of Mass Effect.

Even your point on Protheans being without mystique or holes in their history is clearly flawed, esp since everyone that encounters them wants to know about their race, and I'm talking about how they came to power, not the vague details you mentioned.
They were the most advanced race that was spared by the Reapers, they discovered a mass relay, they traveled the galaxy and unlike the Asari that came after them, they were brutal conquering every sentient species they found. Eventually the Reapers decided it was time to annihilate them, so they were. Only the handful on Ilos survived and it wasn't enough to sustain their population.

It should be CLEAR in ME2 when even Javik himself, the sole survivor of his race, cannot answer some of their questions, that there are definitely holes in their history.
Javik was in ME3; I made that mistake too. Javik is of the warrior class of the Protheans and he was not with the scientists that studied the Reapers; thus, he couldn't provide much information about them.

I clearly stated the parent race could have developed intergalactic travel, not the Protheans themselves. That parent race could have even been unknown to the Protheans, the Protheans being a sort of seed race, as has been speculated about even with Earth related UFOs and Sci Fi surrounding the Gray investigations.
You mean the Leviathans? If they did know how to leave the galaxy, they would have done so long ago (could be encountered in other galaxies--Reapers too for that matter). The Protheans, as far as we know, were completely unaware of the Leviathans. In terms of species, the Protheans weren't all that special. It was even said that the Crucible plans predated the Protheans--many species worked on the design.
 
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First off, thank you Ford for starting this. Frag seems to be surmising from vague memory (or blatant trolling, I can never tell), so let's get our ducks in a row with citations.

Historically, we start with the Leviathans. There may have been races before this, but there is no indication that they matter in the ME1-3 continuity. The Leviathans used mental powers to enslave other species, and subsequently developed space flight. They used their space flight to enslave other worlds, and offered protection of the subjects as "reward" for being slaves. The enslaved species tended to produce AIs to help them, which hand the tendency to go rogue and kill their creators when sapience was achieved. The Leviathans created the Intelligence to combat the whole murderous robots issue. When the Intelligence turned on them, the survivors went into hiding. They've been removing mention of themselves from history since the Intelligence bore the Reapers. While it is suggested that the remaining Leviathans have been manipulating the other species to act as soldiers against the reapers, the evidence is generally removed by the previously stated hiding of Leviathans from history.
http://masseffect.wikia.com/wiki/Leviathan

Moving on, we've got the Reapers. They're born from the DNA of the Leviathans, and the drive of the Intelligence. Their stated goal is to preserve all life, and they do so by slaughtering anything that evolves to the point of developing machine servants and absorbing the DNA into their records. They initially appear as mechanical Leviathans, but they can create new designs based upon the DNA that they absorb. This ability is first confirmed in ME2, with the end boss being a partially created human reaper. The Reapers have powers similar to the Leviathans, and exert their mental control via indoctrination. Their harvest occurs in cycles, as intelligent life develops in the galaxy. In order to control how the intelligent life develops, the Reapers created the Mass Effect relays and the Citadel. In order to conserve power, the Reapers wait out the time between harvesting cycles in "dark space." This dark space is the void between galactic bodies.
http://masseffect.wikia.com/wiki/Reaper

Mass Relays and the Citadel. These things are one and the same. A mass relay generates a corridor of mass free space, allowing for functionally instantaneous travel over large distances. The effect is created by utilizing an element zero core, which when charged is capable of generating a field that negates mass. Relays can be activated, but are generally found in a dormant state. Reactivating them allows for travel to new locations, but as most of these locations are unexplored they often lead to wars (Turian vs. Human, Citadel vs. Rachni, etc...). Relays have two general types, a bidirectional gate (generally over longer distances) or a hub travel between many relays (generally over small distances). The mass relays are maintained by a species known as the Keepers, which are observable on the Citadel. While the Reapers did create the Relays, there are two exceptions. There was a pair of relays linking Ilos and the Citadel, which the Protheans created. This relay pair is, as yet, unique. It allowed the Protheans to enact a plan that would prevent the next harvesting cycle.
http://masseffect.wikia.com/wiki/Mass_relay

The Keepers are a much shorter story. At some point the Reapers enslaved them, and determined that they'd be excellent technicians. They removed all of their faculties, and programmed them to maintain the relays. While it is surmised they were one of the first species the reapers enslaved, this is irrelevant as they are functionally furniture in the Citadel. An unknown number of harvesting cycles later, we get the Protheans.
http://masseffect.wikia.com/wiki/Keeper

The Protheans are the predecessors to the ME1-3 storyline. They managed to poison the Citadel, so the Reapers could not call for backup. They also managed to store caches of data for the primitive species that were not culled by the Reapers. The Protheans had a hierarchical empire, to which all subject species served the Protheans. Within their own empire there were classes of citizenry, from those who ruled to the soldiers. As their view about survival was pragmatic, they didn't generally question this forced hierarchy. This is exemplified by their conquests, their taste for "lesser species" as edibles, as well as their soldier class being relatively uninformed about anything not directly related to their jobs (read: Javik being less than knowledgeable about events during the fall). Protheans were harvested with great efficiency due to the census obtained from the Citadel, and eventually died out as a species due to betrayal (indoctrinated Protheans), a lack of infrastructure, and the generation of the Collectors from their fallen. While some of their artifacts still remain undiscovered, their relevant history has functionally been completely explored.
http://masseffect.wikia.com/wiki/Prothean

The Collectors are Protheans stripped of their intelligence, and enhanced with cybernetics to serve the Reapers. They monitor the species that arise after the Reaper harvests, and control technological development by offering species advanced technologies in exchange for biological samples.
http://masseffect.wikia.com/wiki/Collector



Based upon the available information:
1) The Leviathans never left the Milky Way, and might not even have completely explored it.
2) The Reapers never went beyond the Milky Way. Their stated goal is to preserve life, and their largest relay only got them to the edge of the Milky Way. Based off of only using FTL travel, and it taking several years before they reach one of their relays, they never even got far enough into dark space to determine if any other Galaxy supported life.
3) Most of the Milky Way Galaxy has yet to be explored. The survivors of the war against the Reaper harvest may have the memories of the Reapers, the records from the Crucible, or some other bits of data that could offer information on the actual size of the Mass Effect relay network. Without that, the lack of emission from the relays means that there could literally be billions hidden in our own Galaxy without anyone knowing about them.

4) ME4 will reject any of the characters from ME1-3 appearing in anything but a cameo role. Consider the amount of extra content that would be required. Did you kill everyone in ME2 during the ending? Did you cap Wrex on the way to the Krogan biology lab? What about the three flavored ending of ME3? That's too much plot to deal with, and EA would never allow Bioware to spend 10% of their resources developing a bit of content that only 20% of the players would ever be able to see. A cameo from Liara, as the Shadow Broker, is the best you could hope for.
5) The ME3 ending will be ejected. Imagine you had to build around that. How fundamentally different would it be for a race of interconnected, biotically enhanced, species to conqueror a new galaxy? You'd functionally be the borg, consuming everything as you went along. The people who chose to enslave the Reapers could use them as shock troops, and become lords of the galaxy in months, they'd be the Tyranids. Everything they lost during a war would be replaced by turning the opponent into enslaved reaper shock troopers. Finally, what about the middle finger to the reapers option? You'd be stuck in Civilization 5, where petty internal bickering could result in failure. The need to write four different stories (one fore each ending + new players) makes any substantial inter-connectivity to ME1-3 unlikely at best.
6) The time skip implies that relay tech doesn't play a huge role in the game. A little bit of math helps to put that into perspective. Let's say the the Milky Way is 100,000 light years across the galactic disc. Giving the Reapers the benefit of the doubt, let's say the Citadel actually shoots you 100,000 light years, instead of the couple of thousand that would be needed to escape the Milky Way. That means that 52 relays the size of the Citadel (2,500 thousand light years/ 100 thousand light years per relay pair, then you'd have to get into the cluster from the edge of Andromeda) would have be built. I'd say from the information in the OP that either a one way trip was taken on a ship using an FTL drive, or the denizens of the Milky Way made a one way catapult. The description about having to build an empire makes the bi-directional travel via relays so unlikely as to be implausible.

7) The "mysterious" races of the ME1-3 universe are not going to be explored. Their arc was completed in ME1-3, and subsequent information would require Bioware create a new history in which the Leviathans gave a damn. They were written as a literal deus ex machina, which after the ending to the game still wanted us "lesser" races enslaved. If the history of the Leviathans was actually explored we'd have to rewrite ME3, and EA would only allow that if there were stacks of cash involved. Bioware knows how much the fans desire continuity from them, as demonstrated by the absolute s###storm the three colored ending caused. Nobody with half a brain (though this may be assuming a bit from EA) would want that to happen again.
8) The Leviathans and Reapers are gone for good. All throughout ME1-3 you were dealing with the Protheans, the Reapers, and eventually the "apex" species of the Leviathans. The Leviathans said they were the first and the best, yet somehow the Remnants exist. The only viable explanation is either the Leviathans lied, and subsequently never found anything from the Remnants, or the Remnants never made it to the Milky Way. Focusing this back on point 1, the Remnants are likely the motivation for ME4 as the Protheans were for ME1-3.
9) EA is going to have this game monetized to Hell and back. It'd not hard to see, but let's state the obvious. The colonies have things you can build on them. Some of these things have resource collection, which allows you to buy new stuff. Said stuff is driven by things you find at random. Anyone else get the message yet? I'm seeing a preorder bonus that starts you off with some technology, and a number of resources. Once the preorder is dealt with, there will be DLC that allows your resource collectors to be more efficient. You can also spend real money to get resources, similar to Dead Space 3. There will also be a stream of DLC relating to playable species in horde mode, and a wealth of guns that can only be gotten via real money purchases. Another $60 game will wind up costing $200 with all the content purchased.



TL;DR:
So what we've got is a game with the Mass Effect name, but as Frag Maniac pointed out, none of the stuff from ME1-3. It'll be an entire reboot, with the name stuck on as a tactic to sell copies. Fine EA, you're welcome to stick your greasy tentacles into the Bioware skin suit you've made. I had enough of your crap with ME3, and this announcement makes me look forward to the thud that ME4 will make, when people finally realize they're playing Dragon's Age: Inquisition reskinned with an ME paint job. Bring on the torches, it looks like EA is getting ready to set the Bioware pyre alight.
 
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EA is a company that makes bad decisions, apologizes by giving consumers the finger, then tells us we're scum...

Expanding on my previous points, you and I seem to agree almost entirely. ME1 and 2 were rough, but they had character. ME3 was polished to a mirror shine, yet nobody wants to hang a polished turd in their bathroom and call it a mirror.

...Combine that with half a dozen different preorder options...

Valve pretty much does the same thing. They accidentally sell you a game when they are out of CD keys? Too bad, you'll have to wait a few weeks for them to get more. Any other problem with your account? Dodge the question, give a response in broken English and close the inquiry off the bat. While ME2 did have some extra pre-order DLC, it was mostly cosmetic character uniforms that had no real impact on story/game play. Similar to how you have to buy many games to get all of the content in Valve's Team Fortress 2.

I do understand that EA isn't a great company, but Valve has been on a bad track as of late as well. From terrible customer service, to the bloated Twitter-fied Steam, lack of quality control and responsibility for products on Steam, to garbage social media games geared towards the lowest common denominator Valve just isn't what it used to be.

Getting back on topic to Mass Effect, I do say I am worried. I think games like CS:GO and DOTA 2 show us where the big companies want to go. Lots of micro transactions, unfitting content, constant pop ups, ect. If they can deliver ME2 combat (or better), ME3 weapon customization, the more sci-fi story of ME1, with all the cinematic feel of ME2/3 I will be happy.
 

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Maybe they will go with the ME2 model, and make you pay for many different DLC's (which are quite large and critical to the story), in order to fully finish ME4, just like it took to finish ME2? Don't be surprised if they do!

Who knows, there could be pre-order DLC based on what your overall story was. Limit it to 3 possibles, and people buy only 1 and you can basically work in the results of most people's games without having to plane for 50 different save file schemes going back to ME1.

In any case, I too feel like this will be DAI in sci-fi clothing, unfortunately.
 
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Valve pretty much does the same thing. They accidentally sell you a game when they are out of CD keys? Too bad, you'll have to wait a few weeks for them to get more. Any other problem with your account? Dodge the question, give a response in broken English and close the inquiry off the bat. While ME2 did have some extra pre-order DLC, it was mostly cosmetic character uniforms that had no real impact on story/game play. Similar to how you have to buy many games to get all of the content in Valve's Team Fortress 2.

I do understand that EA isn't a great company, but Valve has been on a bad track as of late as well. From terrible customer service, to the bloated Twitter-fied Steam, lack of quality control and responsibility for products on Steam, to garbage social media games geared towards the lowest common denominator Valve just isn't what it used to be.

Getting back on topic to Mass Effect, I do say I am worried. I think games like CS:GO and DOTA 2 show us where the big companies want to go. Lots of micro transactions, unfitting content, constant pop ups, ect. If they can deliver ME2 combat (or better), ME3 weapon customization, the more sci-fi story of ME1, with all the cinematic feel of ME2/3 I will be happy.

I'm not defending Valve, nor am I suggesting they are somehow angels. What I'm saying is that EA is a known cancer, which has taken every opportunity for redemption and somehow made it worse.


As far as DLC, are you really going to tell me ME2 "just had a little bit" of DLC? Let's fact check: http://masseffect.wikia.com/wiki/Downloadable_Content

ME1: 2 total, 1 free, 0 cosmetic

ME2: 15 total, 5 free, 3 cosmetic (counting the comic as such) , and all of the "free" content originally came only if you bought a new retail game. For giggles, 6 of those DLC were content that would be requisite to get better endings and/or the complete story (to a story driven game). Also, 10 pieces of content were locked behind a preorder, buying some other product, or an otherwise exclusive event.

ME3: You know what, screw it. The list is huge, there's a ton of multi-player content, optional cosmetics are almost non-existant, and there's only a couple of items that were free.

At this rate ME4 will allow you to buy the title screen for $60, with anything else costing you more money. Check that DLC list one more time if you believe I'm not truthful.



In short, when Valve does this I'll be absolutely ready to call them on their crap. EA just seems to be ahead of the curve when it comes to carving a $60 game into 30 parts for $4 a piece, though it seems like their prices will soon be $5 for 60 pieces.



Edit:
So we're clear, my hypocrisy should be addressed. To make it simple, Valve is in the middle of a debacle with paid mods. They deserve to be driven to a stake, and called to account for what they are doing. I say as much in the related thread. EA isn't my punching bag, but they so often decide on policies that deserve the ire of their customers. Valve may do it less, but they deserve an equally harsh reprisal for stupid actions.
 
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@lilhasselhoffer you are absolutely correct about the ME2 DLC real content list being huge. Like I alluded to about it above yours, I was just looking last night at all the downloaded DLC's sitting in a folder on a HDD on my PC. Without half of them, and very large (most near or over a GB in size), you'd have a vastly incomplete story!
 
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I'm not defending Valve, nor am I suggesting they are somehow angels. What I'm saying is that EA is a known cancer, which has taken every opportunity for redemption and somehow made it worse.


As far as DLC, are you really going to tell me ME2 "just had a little bit" of DLC? Let's fact check: http://masseffect.wikia.com/wiki/Downloadable_Content

ME1: 2 total, 1 free, 0 cosmetic

ME2: 15 total, 5 free, 3 cosmetic (counting the comic as such) , and all of the "free" content originally came only if you bought a new retail game. For giggles, 6 of those DLC were content that would be requisite to get better endings and/or the complete story (to a story driven game). Also, 10 pieces of content were locked behind a preorder, buying some other product, or an otherwise exclusive event.

ME3: You know what, screw it. The list is huge, there's a ton of multi-player content, optional cosmetics are almost non-existant, and there's only a couple of items that were free.

At this rate ME4 will allow you to buy the title screen for $60, with anything else costing you more money. Check that DLC list one more time if you believe I'm not truthful.



In short, when Valve does this I'll be absolutely ready to call them on their crap. EA just seems to be ahead of the curve when it comes to carving a $60 game into 30 parts for $4 a piece, though it seems like their prices will soon be $5 for 60 pieces.



Edit:
So we're clear, my hypocrisy should be addressed. To make it simple, Valve is in the middle of a debacle with paid mods. They deserve to be driven to a stake, and called to account for what they are doing. I say as much in the related thread. EA isn't my punching bag, but they so often decide on policies that deserve the ire of their customers. Valve may do it less, but they deserve an equally harsh reprisal for stupid actions.


Old post, but I'll reply. EA takes "chances of redemption" and makes things worse? Like Origin's generous return policy? Actually having customer support? Giving some free DLC with BF4? Allowing Bioware to work on a revised ending free of charge (although still not the best)? I think you're being a bit sensationalist here. They've certainly tried in many instances.

As for the cosmetic DLC in ME2, it was a non-issue. You didn't have to buy it and it didn't add anything meaningful to the game. Sleeping Dogs had more cosmetic DLC which cost an extra $25 or so.
 
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Old post, but I'll reply. EA takes "chances of redemption" and makes things worse? Like Origin's generous return policy? Actually having customer support? Giving some free DLC with BF4? Allowing Bioware to work on a revised ending free of charge (although still not the best)? I think you're being a bit sensationalist here. They've certainly tried in many instances.

As for the cosmetic DLC in ME2, it was a non-issue. You didn't have to buy it and it didn't add anything meaningful to the game. Sleeping Dogs had more cosmetic DLC which cost an extra $25 or so.

Hello, this seems to be our first introduction. As such, allow me to say that when an argument is raised I generally try to support what I say with facts. I very much appreciate that you did the same. Let's talk.

1) Generous return policy.
I'm not sure exactly how you've come to this conclusion. Their return policy is basically that if you cannot play the game you can return it. The only time it has been tested en mass was with the release of a buggy Sim City game. EA basically told consumers too bad, so sad (http://arstechnica.com/gaming/2013/03/ea-not-altering-return-policy-for-furious-simcity-buyers/). Amazon had to step in, and flex its muscles to get EA to start refunding games. If that is the extent of a "generous" returns policy, then Steam must be adequate. Their program for returns is basically a scattershot prayer that a customer support representative might eventually talk to you.

2) Actually having customer support
I'm tempted to call bullshit, and dismiss this argument out of hand. I cannot do this because it has been some time since I've communicated with EA. My last experience was an automated bot response, that basically told me to go f*** myself. That was me experiencing the first few days of Crysis 2, where patches were released that broke working features. If that's customer service at its finest I'll gladly avoid customer service.

3) Giving away free DLC
You have to be screwing with me. BF4 was released as a bug fiesta, and that level of crap coding was immediately pointed out by players. The community backlash was huge, so EA placated angry customers with the promise of some free DLC and a working game "soon." This wasn't giving away something for free, it was buying your way out of jail after running down an officer. If that's treating customers well, I don't understand what abuse would entail.

4) Allowing Bioware to rework the ME ending
It is taking every ounce of my control not to begin calling you names here. To put this bluntly, you are either trolling or mildly retarded. Bioware literally sold the ME universe as a game that would be influenced by your actions, and when they released the first game they said the resolution would not be some A, B, or C choice (http://www.gamefaqs.com/boards/615759-mass-effect-3/62307752). It was literally an A, B, or C choice. We can debate why this occurred (my money is on EA forcing Bioware to pump 3 out in record times), but the truth is that the why did not matter. Bioware released an ending they promised not to release, the community that had invested into this universe lost its shit (seriously, cupcakes?), and the consumer backlash basically forced EA to get Bioware to redo the ending. If EA didn't have Bioware redo the ending it would be unlikely that Mass Effect games would ever sell again. Bioware pumped out a slightly longer ending, which did enough to quiet the community. It wasn't a gift, it was an olive branch to try and make fans forget that a Bioware run by EA had desecrated something they had emotionally invested in.

Some points you could have made, but need to be shot down as well:

5) Humble EA bundle
Had to register for Origin. Old games that had new titles in the series releasing auspiciously close to the bundle's release. This was a marketing ploy to sell old games for some money (these games were old enough to functionally not be moving appreciable units, and thus "giving" them away would not impact the bottom line), but it was really about getting people on Origin.

6) Consistent releases
If you want to beat on Valve, ask them about Half Life 2: Episode 3. Valve has been teasing that for a decade, and basically have told us they don't develop games any more. On the other hand, EA cranks out shit constantly. In any given year there are very few months without an EA release, if any. Of course, once you factor out games with yearly installments, ported crap, and stuff that EA is just a publisher for you're left with a functionally dead list of games. Remember Me was the last risk EA took on new IP, and it was largely a poor clone of a Batman game. I don't need new games every month, but seeing EA turn Plants VS. Zombies into a squad shooter should have made it clear that any new game series will soon be homogenized once they get their grubby mitts into the mix. I might like a ham sandwich every so often, but I would hate it if that was all I ever got. EA is the ham sandwich of gaming, they remove the unique identity of games, so releasing yearly installments is possible.

7) Extended product life
This is basically having a plan for DLC in place. While potentially good on paper, EA is trying to define DLC as anything. I could point out Dungeon Keeper mobile for absolutely deplorable DLC practices (with the fun name of micro-transactions). I could point out the half fleshed out story of ME2 without DLC (No Zaeed, Kasumi Gotto, Shadow Broker, or interception of the Reaper fleet leading to a genocide), or even the inability to play ME3 without DLC (seriously, having to play multi-player to get war resources was crap, but it was worse when they sold DLC to actually rebalance the game), but I'm going to go with my favorite example. Dead Space 3 was a full $60 game. You could then buy resources in the game, so as to upgrade in game items. The alternative was to grind levels constantly, in order to get the items you needed. EA corrupted a survival horror game into a shooter that required you mull around and wait for drones to collect loot for you (or pay more real money). This is unacceptable.


So, I've justified why EA has taken opportunities for redemption, and crapped all over them. They are the first to offer returns digitally, but won't honor it when one of their games bombs. They give away content, but only whenever they are making up for some massive mistake. They support games, but only whenever doing so will allow them to squirt out DLC packages with a huge net profit. Assuming you still believe that I'm biased, I can count on one hand the number of digital stores I trust implicitly online. Steam doesn't make the cut, Origin is out, and Green Man has had some sketchy goings in the last few months. GoG has been the only digital platform that seems to genuinely care about gaming. They have a good return policy, good customer support, a huge library, no fatal DRM schemes, and they do all of this without giving up on gamers to pursue the casual market. Their only failing is that the games are older, which isn't a failing when bland military shooter 860029 is the newest thing on store shelves. Valve and EA both need to learn from GoG.
 
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Remember Me was a Capcom Joint.

things are pretty bad across the board :)

Take Two is doing alright. no idea how Warner Bros is doing. Konami is in rough shape and probably getting out of the business. Square Enix Western titles are the only thing keeping them a float. Crytek is in rough shape. Capcom is in rough shape.
 
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Remember Me was a Capcom Joint.

things are pretty bad across the board :)

Take Two is doing alright. no idea how Warner Bros is doing. Konami is in rough shape and probably getting out of the business. Square Enix Western titles are the only thing keeping them a float. Crytek is in rough shape. Capcom is in rough shape.

Stupid error on my part. What I was thinking about was Mirror's Edge, not Remember Me. Thank you for catching that bit of idiocy.


I started another long explanation of my point, but this topic doesn't warrant it. Put simply, big publishers are responsible for the damage that has been done to this market. They continue to blame a lack of consumer demand, piracy, and poor sales figures for this. I contend that games like Mighty Number 9, Ukoo Laylee, Five Nights at Freddy's, and their kin prove otherwise. The market is alive and well, but publishers are unwilling to see the opportunities and serve markets. In short, they are unwilling to settle for 10 games with a $5 million profit when one game can make a $50 million profit. Once you've saturated the market with homogenized $50 million games, it becomes impossible to continue with more of the same. Publishers haven't woken up to this fact, and it seems to be the EA mantra. That's why we hear so many success stories, followed up with major games studios shutting down. It isn't an unhealthy industry, so much as old practices becoming toxic.
 
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forgot about Nova.
Pick a Target
Charge
Nova
is it dead? doesn't matter pick a new target
Charge
Nova
Is it dead? why are we even asking this? pick a new target
Charge
Nova
Are you on a level where the enemies keep coming and is the game getting annoyed at you not moving on? who cares? Pick a new target.
Charge
Nova
Seriously is the game really getting mad now and introducing new annoyed dialogue that you haven't heard before? Cool, pick a new target.
 

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Just noticed this in Mass Effect 3 at Grissom Academy:

He's one of Jack's students:

So Cerberus attacked Grissom Academy primarily for that one guy. Can't be a coincidence. I expect to see him in Mass Effect 4. I doubt he'd be the protagonist but he could easily serve the role of Kaiden in Mass Effect.

Edit: Apprently Rodriguez too:



Addendum to the above: Prangley ends up dead if Jack did not survive so Rodriguez may be the one to show up in Mass Effect 4, not Prangley. Prangley may show up as a cameo if he lives.
 
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I still haven't gotten through the first three games yet. Back log for life. LOL
 
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'Spoiler' should be in the original post or title at least once... :)
 
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